Canon has announced a New Years gift for all the L-series addicts out there: A shiny new 70-200mm f2.8L IS II USM EF lens, featuring a revised optical design, optimised AF performance and reduced minimum focus distance to 1.2m (the original was 1.4m).
Canon 70-200mm f2.8L IS USM II Lens
The revised optical design of the EF 70-200mm f2.8 L IS USM II incorporates a new fluorite element and one additional ultra-low dispersion (UD) element, boosting the count to five. Further internal changes include a faster CPU, running an updated AF algorithm which makes the autofocus “faster and quieter” – a perfect match for the top-notch AF system found in the EOS 7D and 1D Mark IV digital SLRs.
Image stabilisation (IS) is now 1-stop more effective than the original 70-200mm f2.8L IS, capable of compensating for camera shake at shutter speeds up to 4-stops slower than normal. Good news!
Just to round-off an impressive list of upgrades, the new 70-200mm f2.8L IS II also incorporates an updated external design: The lens controls have been made shallower, to prevent accidental changes, and the MF ring has been beefed up to improve accuracy whilst manually focusing.
Revised controls for a truly 'classic' pro zoom lens
Now it’s time to make sure you’re seated and not using a laptop or an iPhone that you can drop in disbelief. The suggested retail price for this new professional workhorse is an eye-watering £2,799.99. There’s always bound to be a premium to pay for the final pixels of unbelievable quality, but even we have to say, that is quite a shock!
